Energy efficiency of microwave and electric kettle for heating water
Has anyone measured the watts used to heat a mug of water in a microwave instead of in electric kettle into cold mug? I have always considered that an electric kettle wastes energy when heating enough water for a mug of coffee or tea. Enough water must be added to cover heating element and often surplus is left with hot element.Instead I have an old tupperware mug with two finger handle for safe use. The correct amount of water is added. The heating is watched until it boils and then used immediately door opened.
Best Answer
According to the folks over at treehugger.com, they did a study to measure which of the stove, the microwave or the kettle was the more efficient in terms of use of electricity to heat a standard mug of water. This doesn't directly answer your question as you are unlikely to boil 350 ml (standard cup is 250 ml) of water in your kettle or on the stove, but it gets the point across.
A summary of their findings is that it took the electric stove 0.11 kWh, the microwave (900 W) 0.07 kWh, and the kettle 0.04 kWh. This indicates that in terms of energy usage the stove is 30.5% efficient, the microwave is 47% and the kettle is 81%.
The clear winner is the kettle!
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Quick Answer about "Energy efficiency of microwave and electric kettle for heating water"
A microwave is about 50 percent efficient. Most of the energy is lost in the process of converting electricity to microwaves (which are part of the electromagnetic spectrum). An electric stovetop is about 70 percent efficient, although that varies widely depending on the type of pot or kettle you use.Is it more economical to heat water in kettle or microwave?
Microwave is only 60% efficent in using energy relative to what energy goes in and the microwaves that come out. Typically is is operating at about half the efficiency in my kitchen relative to boiling water in a kettle. The kettle wins out.Are electric kettles more energy efficient than microwave?
An electric kettle is more efficient compared to a microwave oven. For example, a microwave oven can lose about 50 percent of liquid during the entire boiling process, compared to an electric kettle that can only reduce not more than 15 percent of overall juice.Is it more energy efficient to boil water in microwave?
Typically, though, a microwave would be slightly more efficient at heating water than the flame on a gas stove, and should use up a little less energy.Is kettle better than microwave?
KEY TAKEAWAYS: A kettle uses an external or internal heating source to heat water and bring it to a boil. Microwaves use electromagnetic radiation to heat food or liquid in the cavity. While either appliance will boil water, a kettle is more efficient and will give better-tasting tea.Efficiency of a kettle - GCSE Physics
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Answer 2
Have you considered a kettle with an embedded element? I don't think I've seen a 'floating' element kettle in 20 years. Jug kettles [tall & thin] are capable of boiling half a cup of water in about 30 seconds.
You can do the math [approximately] yourself on the equipment you currently have.
Assume a kettle is 2kW a microwave 1kW
As you can't put one cupful in your kettle, you'll have to work with what you can.
Put minimal water in kettle, boil & time it.
Put one cup in the microwave, boil & time it.
If the microwave takes more than twice the time of the kettle, the kettle is more efficient.
This would be more accurate once you know the precise wattage of both devices & far more energy-efficient with a modern jug kettle.
Note the amount of heat energy getting into the water is not necessarily the entire output of the heating device, so timing it & multiplying by the wattage is the only simple & effective way to tell how much energy was used.
Also note that convection is less effective in a microwave, so you will have to stir half-way. Water can boil at the top yet still only be 50° at the bottom of a cup.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Max Vakhtbovych, Max Vakhtbovych, Pixabay, Jem Sanchez